Babysitting Can Be Murder
by AoStH Unlimited
Summary: Eggman has captured Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails and turned them into babies! Can Amy and Cream get them back to normal before Eggman completes his plan?
1. Captured!

---------------------------------------------  
Note: This fic was originally posted paragraph by paragraph by the talented posters of AoStH Unlimited (a Sonic board especially made for fans of the show "Adventures of Sonic the Hegehog").   
  
We usually have one of these "Round Robin" fics going, so come on over and join in the fun! ^_^ We are at EzBoard.com and our id is "baosthunlimited."   
  
Also, "Cream the Rabbit" is from Sonic Advance 2, if you aren't familiar with her, and "Fang the Sniper" is from the Sonic game "Sonic the Fighters."  
---------------------------------------------  
  
============================  
"Baby Sitting can be Murder"   
============================  
Co-Written by the AoStH Unlimited Gang  
--------------------  
(a.k.a. Joanie Rich, Vicious, Little Pizza Tiger and Shadowed Spirit Sage)   
--------------------  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
===========  
  
Sonic glared at Knuckles, who was sitting only a few feet away from him. He's goin' down this time, he thought, big time.  
  
Knuckles returned with a sharper stare. This was going to be too easy. The corner of his mouth slightly turned up, "Ready to lose?"   
  
"You wish."  
  
"Alright guys, the first one to finish wins," Tails said as he slid two humungous milkshakes towards them, "On your mark."  
  
Each of them grabbed a shake, and leaned forward, "Get set... GO!"   
  
The two started slurping the milkshakes at an enourmous speeds. The shakes were going, going.... and Sonic's was gone first.  
  
Tails yelled, "Sonic wins."  
  
Knuckles groaned, "Darn." Tails handed Sonic a chili cheese dog, complete with the cayenne pepper.  
  
Sonic said, "Now this is the kind of mystery prize I like!"  
  
Knuckles moaned, "I like ramen better anyways.. ant flavored ramen." He pulled out a hot steaming cup of noodles and started chowing down.   
  
Sonic began to devour his delicious prize when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, "Whoa," he shook his head a bit.  
  
"Whatsa matter? Did the winner get a brain freeze?" Knuckles chided as he swallowed another spoonful of warm noodles. That will teach him to challenge me, he smiled to himself.  
  
His smile quickly faded though, as Sonic's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted forward onto the table.  
  
"Sonic!" Tails rushed toward Sonic, but he too quickly collasped onto the ground.  
  
Knuckles leapt to his feet. What on Mobius is going on? His forehead throbbed in reply and his conscious slowly tumbled into a dark hole. His body crumpled onto the ground.  
  
A dark figure stepped towards the fallen heroes, "Ah yes," he spoke slowly, "Your gas is quick, odorless, and undetectable," he turned to the shorter man who stumbled awkwardly behind him, "I like your style."  
  
The shorter man said, "Well, sir, my name is Sen Sayokudo. What's yours?"  
  
The taller figure replied, "Eggman. My name is Eggman."  
  
Sen replied, "Ah yes. What will you do with these two?" Eggman whipped out some sort of ray gun. He slid the setting to reverse, and fired it at a frog, who turned into a tadpole.  
  
Sen said, "I see, it can turn things into their juvenile selves."  
  
Eggman yelled, "Wait! Amy and Cream are missing! They can foil things is they find out about this! Get them!"  
  
Sen yelled, "Okay, sir....." and he dashed off in another direction.  
Eggman chortled, "As for you three...." He aimed his age-changing gun at our three knocked-out heroes. 


	2. At the Arcade

CHAPTER TWO  
===========  
  
"AMY!" Cream squealed as she furiously wiggled her joystick and tapped the buttons atop the video game console. She brushed back her right ear, which had flopped in front of her face. Cheese, her little blue chao, watched the video screen intensely.   
  
"Shoulda been watching your back!" she smiled triumphantly as she thrust her joystick one last time and slapped one more button, "Ha-ha! Game-Set-Match!"  
  
"RATS!" Cream pounded her fist on the arcade console, almost knocking Cheese off. A little exclamation point appeared above his head as he flapped his wings and stopped himself from smacking onto the arcade floor. He restraightened his red bowtie and sat back on the console.  
  
"Looks like someone owes me a pizza!" Amy leaned on the console, resting her chin on her hands, "Well, I'm waaaaaaaiting!"   
  
"Ugh, you're starting to sound like Sonic!" Cream frowned, "Hey, speaking of him, where is he? I thought the guys were going to meet us here at 3:00?"  
  
"Me too," Amy glanced at her watch, "They're never late," Amy giggled, "Especially not Sonic."  
  
Cream rolled her eyes, then picked up Cheese, "Oh, they probably just forgot. We'd better go find them before it gets too-" she stopped suddenly as she saw something coming down the street just outside the arcade window. It couldn't be! It was broad daylight!  
  
"Too... what?" Amy asked, "HEY!"  
  
Cream yanked her down out of sight of the window as an obese man drove by in hulking egg-shaped vehicle, "Did you see that?"  
  
"No, I was too busy trying to figure out WHAT'S UP WITH YOU?!" Amy folded her arms.  
  
"It was Eggman! He just drove by!" she pointed down the street.  
  
"What?" Amy's eyes widened, "What's HE doing roaming around downtown where everyone can see him?"   
  
"Exactly what I was thinking. C'mon, let's follow him!" Cream and Cheese headed out the door of the arcade.  
  
"Oh, I hope the guys didn't run into him..." Amy peered nervously in both directions before stepping outside.  
  
"Amy, they're grown boys," Cream smiled, "They can handle themselves."   
  
Cream and Amy walked out of the arcade and followed the general direction that Eggman's vehicle was going in. Suddenly, a familiar owl (from the Sonic Anime) flew towards the two women.  
  
Amy yelled, "Oji-san!"  
  
Oji glumly said, "Yea, the boys have been kidnapped. I think they are in that warehouse over there."  
  
Cream asked, "How could they get randomly kidnapped like that if they were so strong."  
  
Oji-san moaned, "I really don't know. It's gonna be cold this night, so take these cloaks with you." Amy and Cream donned Oji-San's black cloaks.  
  
Amy said, "That's a spooky looking place."  
  
Oji-san yelled, "Good luck!" The two pitufully walked into the warehouse, in the black cloaks. Both Amy and Cream sported a serious demeanor on their faces.  
  
Eggman, who was standing parallel to them, yelled, "Now, you may not be prepared for this. You must know that they were kidnapped. Now this is why!" Eggman flicked the light switch.   
  
Amy, Cream, and Cheese braced themselves for something to happen, but nothing did.  
  
"WHAT?" Eggman growled and flipped the switch again. Again, nothing happened. He rapidly flipped it up and down a few more times, but to no avail. He began to examine the switch, grumbling under his breath.   
  
Suddenly a tiny creature got shocked with electricity and lit up brightly. The lights then flashed on with a few sparks shooting out of the lights above them.   
  
Amy and Cream gasped. Sitting in a metallic playpen were three adorable babies. One, a burnt hedgehog, was grasping an electrical wire in both his hands. His big eyes watered and he started to cry loudly. Two other babies, a fox and a echidna were fighting over a toy robot.  
  
"Gimme those, you little brat!" Eggman seized the wires from the baby. An instant shock electrified his body. The little hedgehog and his two playmates instantly smiled and started clapping and laughing at him. Eggman toppled over.  
  
"Ohh!" Amy cooed, her eyes turning into little hearts, "They're just so cute! I wanna give 'em a big hug!"   
  
Eggman pulled himself off the ground - a little burnt, but otherwise okay.  
  
Cream suddenly recognized them, "Are those-"   
  
"Yes, these are your friends."   
  
"But... how?" Cream asked as Cheese displayed a question mark over his head.  
  
"Simple," Eggman smiled, "With this," he pulled out his age-changing gun, "This is my Junvenihilator, it can change the age of whatever it hits. And you two are my next targets," he laughed as he aimed it at them.  
  
"You're gonna have to catch us first!" Amy made a face at Eggman and grabbed Cream's hand.  
  
Eggman fired the laser. Amy and Cream ducked, but the ray hit Cheese. The chao toppled to the floor and instantly turned into a chao egg.  
  
"NO! Cheese!" Cream started turn around.  
  
"He'll be okay! C'mon!" Amy pulled her back and they dashed further into the dark warehouse.  
  
Meanwhile, in the mess hall, Scratch and Grounder were playing shogi. Scratch yelled, "I move my Gold General, and you are checkmated. I win."  
  
Grounder yelled, "You win at Chess and Checkers and Shogi! I think you are cheating!"  
  
A voice on the PA yelled, "Scratch, Grounder, come in the warehouse NOW!"  
  
The two yelled, "Aye aye!" before running off. 


	3. A New Friend

CHAPTER THREE  
=============  
  
Cream leaned on a tall wooden crate, catching her breath. Amy collasped on the floor beside her.  
  
"Think we lost him?" Cream peered around.  
  
"I don't know," Amy threw her arms up, "What are we gonna do?"  
  
"You're gonna give yourselves up to us!" A voice squawked.  
  
They looked up and found none other than the S.S.S.S.S. Squad staring them down.  
  
"No way!" Cream grabbed Amy and they continued running.  
  
Grounder started to pursue them, "Hey, come back her-"  
  
"Wait a minute," Scratch held him back, "I've got an idea on how to trap them!"   
  
Scratch grabbed a fishing net and stepped up on a box of crates. Cream and Amy seemed confused.  
  
Cream asked, "Where did they go?" as she picked up the chao egg that contained Cheese.  
  
Amy yelled, "Let's try to get the boys."  
  
Cream said, "But, won't we get caught?"  
  
Amy reminded, "That's why we came here!" When Scratch tossed the net, the girls had already ran away.  
  
Scratch yelled, "Drat!"  
  
Grounder asked, "Hey, where are the kids in the playpen?" The playpen was broken, and empty. Amy and Cream had already broken in and taken them.  
  
Scratch moaned, "They were taken away. We have to follow them!"  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, on a dirt road on a cool evening, Amy and Cream were trekking on the lonely path with the now-baby Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles inside their cloaks, along with the Chao Egg that was Cheese.  
  
Amy said, "I'm hungry. And I guess they are too."  
  
Cream asked, "What's this place?" The two women eyed a classical-Japanese-style house. The door to the genkan was wide open. A young woman in a yukata was inside of the genkan, reading a book. Her geta were against the step to the house proper, while the woman was wearing slippers.  
  
Amy suggested, "Maybe we should shelter in here for the night. It's prolly a ryokan."  
  
Cream yelled, "An inn!"  
  
Amy yelled, "Hello there!"  
  
The woman turned around and asked, "You guys need to stay here?"   
  
"Yes, Miss," Cream started, "But unfortunately I don't think we have enough money, you see we have-" Baby Tails suddenly wiggled his head out of her cloak and gawked at his new surroundings. He knocked Cheese's egg out of her hands. Amy rushed to catch it, keeping hold of Sonic and Knuckles with one arm. Luckily, she saved it just in time, and then handed it carefully back to Cream.  
  
"Oh! Your children are so cute!" the young woman exclaimed as she set down her book and came to the doorway, "I could never turn away such sweet angels. I'm sure we can work something out."   
  
Amy and Cream looked at each other and smiled. They bowed to her, "Thank you very much!"  
  
"Well, c'mon inside now!" she ushered them through the doorway, "We don't want them to catch a cold."  
  
The lady took hold of the babies, as the girls deposited their shoes on the small wooden rack by the door, and donned some warm house slippers. She then handed the babies back to them, "My name is Shoko," she bowed, "And I would like to welcome you to my humble ryokan. I know it's not much, but I'm proud of it."  
  
Amy and Cream returned the bow, "Oh, I love it!" Amy said, gawking at the beautiful pieces of pottery and tapestry in the hallway.  
  
Shoko led them into the main room, and the girls sat down at a short table. Shoko brought in a couple of blankets. Amy and Cream wrapped the babies up and set them on their laps, trying to get them to fall asleep.  
  
"So, tell me," Shoko asked, "What are you city dwellers doing way out here at night with your children?"  
  
Amy said, "We are on the run from someone. Would it be nice if I watched guard in the genkan?"  
  
Shoko asked, "From whom?"  
  
"Eggman."  
  
"Eggman... Yea, sure!" Amy walked out of the room and sat down in the genkan.  
  
Outside of the Inn, Scratch and Grounder were pouring out a can of soda.  
  
Grounder said, "So this is where you tracked them down!" Scratch threw the binoculars back into Grounder's compartment.  
  
Scratch said, "I think we should smoke 'em out!"  
  
Grounder yelled, "Yea, good idea!" Scratch filled the can with petroleum, before he stuck a wick inside. He proceeded to light the wick and toss it into the foyer (the english name for a Genkan).  
  
Grounder yelled, "Wooohooooo!" However, the can was tossed back out, and it fell into a puddle, where it ebbed out. Amy proceeded to waltz out of the genkan in her shoes.  
  
Amy yelled, "You two were trying to set this place on fire so we would get hurt, werent you? Now let's play a game of janken to see if you two can proceed inside!"  
Grounder asked, "What's janken?"  
  
Amy yelled, "Rock-Paper-Scissors! Let's play!" Scratch and Amy held their hands out, playing the game that is the equivalent of a coin toss.  
They both yelled, "Jan... ken... Bon!" Amy came out with paper and Scratch came out with a rock.  
  
Amy yelled, "Paper wins! I win!"  
  
Scratch yelled, "Why you!" Amy proceeded to knock them down with her mallet, before knocking them away from view. Amy slid the door shut, and proceeded back inside.  
  
Once inside, Shoko presented the girls with a platter of nigrimeshi, those rice balls rapped in a sheet of nori.  
  
Shoko asked, "What happened out there?"  
  
Amy replied, "Nothing really did, other than that I owned them."  
  
"So, why is Eggman after you?"  
  
"I happen to be a friend of Sonic the Hedgehog. Eggman hates me."  
  
"Isn't that nice knowing you have a hero you can rely on?" 


	4. Another Enemy

CHAPTER FOUR  
============  
  
At Eggman's base, he pulled in the defeated Scratch and Grounder.  
Eggman said, "Since you two couldn't do the job, I know someone who can!" He then proceeded to drop 198,000 Yen into the hands of Fang the Sniper, one of the most well known bounty hunters on the planet.   
  
"Two scrawny girls and three helpless brats? This will be too easy," Fang smiled as he counted his money, "Hey! This is only half what you promised!" He growled, baring his teeth. No one cheats Fang the Sniper and gets away with it!  
  
Eggman remained calm, "Take it easy. You'll receive the rest when you complete your task."  
  
There was something about the tubby dictator that told Fang that he shouldn't trust him. Nevertheless, a job was a job. "Then consider it already done," Fang replied, stuffing his money into his pocket and slipping quietly out of the base.  
  
Scratch approached Eggman, "Why did you pay him so much, sir?"  
  
"I didn't pay him diddly squat," Eggman laughed.  
  
"Hey, that's what we get paid!" Grounder replied.  
  
Scratch bopped Grounder on the head, "But we saw you pay him!"  
  
"You fool! The money I gave him was counterfeit!"   
  
"Well at least it wasn't fake!" Grounder added.  
  
Scratch bopped him again, adding to the growing dent in his head.  
  
"Soon, I'll have those brats back," Eggman chuckled, "And once Amy and Cream are reduced to drooling brats as well - there will be no one will be left to stop me from conquering Mobius!"  
  
***  
  
"So this is our room." The door read "Mandarin Burst Room". When Amy opened the door, the walls were orange in color, while the floor and ceiling were white. Amy walked over to a cabinet and pulled out the futon. She proceeded to lay it down on the floor, before she lied down on it. Cream hustled in the room with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.  
  
Cream said, "This room is quite beautiful."  
  
Amy said, "Yea, the kids need to go to sleep. I need to know how to reverse the effect." Cream lay Knuckles and Sonic on the futon, where they were slumbering away. However, when she put Tails down, he didn't seem to want to go to sleep.  
  
Cream said, "Tails, I think you need to go to sleep now." Tails was wide awake, his blue eyes wide open.  
  
Amy walked up to him and asked, "Why are you awake? Ah, well I guess I could rock you to sleep." Amy picked up Tails, sat down on a chair, and placed him on her lap.  
  
Tails started, "I..."  
  
Amy exclaimed, "He can talk!"  
  
Tails continued, "...I need a diaper change...." He was blushing indeed.  
  
Amy annoyingly groaned, "Okay then."  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, Fang was standing outside of the ryokan, looking at the numerous ways he could break in and snatch the kids.  
  
Fang smiled to himself, "I know just how to break in."   
  
***  
  
Amy and Cream shot nervous looks at each other. Cream held a clean diaper and a tub of baby powder in her hands, Amy stood next to her looking completely lost. The tiny Tails lay on his back in front of them. Cream swallowed hard and turned to her pink friend. "We need help…" she exclaimed, Amy nodded in reply.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile outside Fang had finished calculating how to get in to the cozy looking ryokan. With a flick of his unique tail, Fang made his way up onto the roof. "This is too easy!" he chuckled as he approached his entrance into the inn via a conveniently placed sky window.  
  
***  
  
"I don't think that's right…" Amy said, a gloved hand on her chin.   
  
"What are you talking about? It looks fine!" Cream stated with her hands on her hips. A light orange kit looked up at them with big blue eyes. A sloppy diaper adorned his head with one of his large fox ears sticking out from it. Poor Tails was covered in baby powder, which made his bright orange fur seem a bit discolored and dusty. His tiny black nose twitched and he let out a tiny sneeze, causing the diaper to fall off his head. The rabbit sighed. "Ok so maybe I was wrong! I want to see you try it!" she retorted narrowing her eyes at Amy. Amy shook her head.  
  
"No you don't!" the hedgehog warned as she backed up. Cream clasped her hands together in a pleading motion. Amy continued to shake her head and backing up until she eventually tripped over a wastebasket.   
  
The two continued to argue over who was to change the babies. While this was all happening, Tails had shaken the powder from his fur and slipped his diaper on the correct way. An open window caught the little kit's eyes. He scooted over to his sleeping pals and after promptly waking them and showing them the opened window, the three toddlers made their way to freedom.   
  
Upon reaching the wall right under the window, Tails crouched down on his hands and knees allowing Knuckles to climb on his back fallowed by Sonic climbing onto Knuckles shoulders. After the blue hedgehog climbed up onto the windowsill, he helped Knuckles up. The two hopped down onto the soft grass and waited. Inside Tails twirled his twin tails allowing him to hover safely out the window.   
  
The sky had turned a deep navy blue and twinkling stars started to peak through the night. Unbeknownst to Amy and Cream, the children had taken off, searching for adventure unaware of the awaiting dangers.  
  
Amy asked, "Hey, where did Tails go?"  
  
Cream said, "They musta been taken already."  
  
Amy looked outside, and said, "No, they just ran away. I'm getting them."   
She walked towards the genkan, where she took off her shoes, so she can put them back on.  
  
On the roof, Fang opened the skylight and jumped in the main hallway.  
  
He then hid in a closet as Amy walked back in, yelling, "You scared me sick! Don't do that... ever... again...."  
  
He then popped out right beside her and tapped her shoulder.   
  
Amy jumped, nearly dropping the three toddlers. She whirled around to come face to face with Fang. She let out a small gasp, Fang just grinned.   
  
"I think you better hand over the kiddies if ya know what's best for you..." Fang hissed. It was at this time Cream walked in from the room, unaware of the trouble.   
  
"Amy did you find-" the rabbit cut her sentence short when she noticed Amy being cornered by Fang.   
  
"Cream! Run!" Amy shouted. But poor Cream was in a state of shock and confusion. Fang whipped around to face the frightened rabbit. Amy took her chance. She bent down and set the kids on the floor. Then she reached behind her back and pulled out her mallet. The pink hedgehog rose to her feet and swung hard, bringing her hammer down on Fang's head. The bounty hunter uttered a few groans before he collapsed to the floor.   
  
Amy and Cream just stood there staring at their attacker. Fang lay motionless in front of them. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles started to giggle and clap from their spot on the floor.   
  
"Is he…" Cream didn't have to finish. Amy shook her head and put her hammer away (don't ask me where, we all know that is one of the biggest mysteries about her).   
  
"I only knocked him out, come on lets get out of here!" Amy went to pick up the children only to find Tails missing again. "Oh no not again!" she complained as she scanned the room. Cream did the same, then smiled when she spotted the fox waddle in, rolling the chao egg that contained Cheese.  
  
"Here he is!" Cream stated as she picked up Tails, egg and all. Amy sighed in relief. After grabbing their cloaks, the two girls left, leaving the unconscious Fang behind them. 


	5. Attacked!

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
============  
  
Amy and Cream entered their room, and laid the kids on the futon.  
  
Amy said, "I need a rest. This is getting depressing. I need a nap."  
  
Cream moaned, "Me too." They both collapsed on the futon with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.  
  
***  
  
In the hallway, Fang got up, rubbing his bruised head, "Those kids. They oughtta die for that."   
  
When Shoko came into the hallway, she suddenly trembled back, "Do you need help? Your head looks bruised."  
  
Fang tipped his cowboy hat and smiled, "Nope, but you might." He then punched Shoko in the gut, and she fell over, knocked out.  
  
Fang coninued, "Now, where are the kids?"   
  
Fang grasped Shoko around her neck and thrust her up against the wall, "Tell me now!"  
  
She kicked her legs and tried to pry his hands off, "I don't know! And even if I did, I would never tell scum like you!" Her face began to turn slightly purple.  
  
Fang sighed, this wasn't getting him anywhere. Unfortunately, he could sense that this teenage bimbo was telling the truth. She didn't know and was therefore useless to him. Shoko suddenly passed out and Fang released her. She crumpled onto the floor.  
  
"They must be here somewhere..." Fang commented as he turned around, sniffing the air, "I can still smell them."   
  
Just then, an idea passed through his brain. Perhaps this girl could be useful after all, he thought, the perfect bait to lure those brats out into the open.  
  
So, he pushed her on his shoulders and entered the hallway leading towards the rooms.  
  
"Which room are they in?" He saw a sheet of paper with kanji in it, "The Guestbook. I know EXACTLY where they are!" He aimed his pop gun at Shoko's head and knocked on the door of Amy's room.   
  
***  
  
"Who do you think that is?" Cream asked Amy, after hearing the knock at the door. She set the little Sonic she had been rocking, next to the sleeping Tails and Knuckles. Amy, who had collapsed on the bed in pure exhaustion, lifted her head up.  
  
"It's probably just Shoko...." Amy yawned. "See what she wants..." The pink hedgehog turned over and rested her head on a pillow.   
  
"All right," Cream said going to answer the door. She was stopped by the small whimper of a baby hedgehog. Cream turned back and looked at Sonic who in turn looked back up at her with big watery eyes. He cuddled a teddy bear, which just made him even more adorable and hard to resist. Cream crossed her arms, but Sonic kept up his act to get Cream to hold him, "Oh honestly!" The annoyed rabbit gave up and scooped up the child, "Coming!" Cream shouted as she heard another knock at the door. She turned the knob and pulled the door open. She gasped at what she saw.   
  
"Hand over the brats or this one gets it!" Fang hissed still holding the pop gun to Shoko's head. Cream was in another state of shock. Amy sat up at the sound of Fang's voice. He smiled maliciously down at the infant Sonic. Sonic just smiled back and let out gurgling baby noises. "What are you so happy about squirt? You're toast!" Fang laughed. Sonic let out a shriek of excitement, as babies sometimes do, and threw up his arms in delight. But as Sonic's arms jolted upwards, the teddy bear he held swung up also, whacking Fang right in the face.  
  
His anger kept growing and growing as the young Sonic kept whacking him.Sonic kept saying "Take that mean man!" over and over again. Fang got so annoyed that he punched Sonic in the gut. He then punched Cream in the face, leaing Amy to fend for the kids.   
  
Cream winced in pain and tried to get back up. Baby Sonic coughed a little and started to cry, tears dripping down his tiny face.   
  
"You-you MONSTER!" Amy's voice shook and her eyes narrowed. Fighting her and Cream was one thing, but striking an innocent baby? That was the last straw. With fists clenched, she let out a war cry, surged forward, and dealt Fang a serious blow to the jaw, loosening a few teeth. His body flew backwards, ripping through the delicate paper wall, leaving behind a wide hole. He fell onto a table on the other side, breaking it in two. Amy pulled her hand back, it stung a little, but it was well worth the effort; he deserved it.  
  
She helped up Cream onto the bed and cradled Sonic in her arms, rocking him gently, "Shhh...It's okay sweetie," she cooed.  
  
Cream quickly regained her composure and bent down on the floor beside their fallen friend.   
  
"Is Shoko...?" Amy started to ask as she picked up baby Tails and Knuckles.  
  
"She's just unconscious," Cream diagnosed as she carefully draped Shoko's arm over her shoulder. She tucked Cheese's egg under her other arm and stood up, "C'mon. Let's get out of here while he's KO'd too... We gotta get back to Robotnik's and get these boys back to normal."   
  
Amy told Cream, "Take the kids. I will go ahead and find Eggman's place to find some sort of antidote." Amy ran off with her trademark hammer.  
  
Cream winced at the fallen Fang, before she took out a rope and tied him up, "There, that looks perfect!" 


	6. Common Goals

CHAPTER SIX  
  
===========  
  
Eggman's fortress looked like a junkyard. It had machinery everywhere, and it gave Amy goosebumps, "How do I get into that place? I dont want to get caught by any alarms or anything!"   
  
She crept forward, stepping cautiously around all the scattered machine parts. She peered around a pile of junk and suddenly came face to face with a bot! "YIKES!"   
  
Without a moment's hesitation, she hammered the bot. It toppled over onto the ground. She swung her hammer back and prepared to strike again, but the bot didn't move an inch. Amy leaned a little closer. It wasn't making any noise. She picked up its arm and the hand disconnected and fell off. Amy chuckled nervously, "Oh... it's deactivated. Wow, I could've sworn it was going to attack me."   
  
An idea quickly formed itself in her mind. This bot was about her size. Yeah! She could wear its body casing and sneak into the fortress! Nobody would ever know it was her. Perfect! She yanked the robots parts off and began to slip them on. This was going to be a piece of cake.  
  
Amy slunked around in her metallic robot costume, evading detection by security cameras and robots working at the facility. She finally made her way to the computer terminal.  
  
Amy thought, "Maybe I can get info here!" However, Metal Sonic fell down on its feet right in front of her, causing her to scream.  
  
***  
  
In the ryokan, Fang was snarling as he was tied up.  
  
Cream moaned, "You won't get out, no you won't!"   
  
When she walked out of the room, he smiled. He pulled out an X-Acto knife from his pocket and snipped the ropes binding him.   
  
***  
  
"Must you do that every time?" Metal Sonic winced. Amy, though engulfed in fear, quickly turned around and started running.   
  
"Not so fast!" Metal sneered as he jumped in front of her in a flash. Amy let out a tiny squeak, not being able to find her voice to scream. "How's about you and me pay a little visit to my boss?" Metal laughed as he backed Amy into a corner.   
  
***  
  
"Get away from me!" the rabbit screamed as she too was being backed into a corner. Fang took a step closer, pop gun in hand.  
  
"Not this time long ears!" Fang hissed. He was so focused on Cream he didn't see baby Sonic start to rev up his little feet. He might have been a baby but he still had his speed! The hedgehog sped right towards Fang. Before Fang knew what had happened he found himself falling to the floor. He opened his eyes to find three angry looking toddlers glaring down at him. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles looked at each other for a moment and then grinned.  
  
"PI-WOH FIGHT!" Knuckles shouted, leading the charge.   
  
In an instant Fang was bombarded with pillows. Cream couldn't help but laugh. She then noticed Fang's pop gun lying on the floor in front of her. He must have dropped it when Sonic tripped him. She smiled and picked it up.  
  
"Alright boys!" Cream pried them off of Fang, who was covering his face. He slowly opened his eyes and gulped as he saw Cream pointing the pop gun a few inches from his face, "Okay, enough games. Tell me who you are and what you're doing here."  
  
Fang sighed, "My name, if you must know-"  
  
Cream pressed the pop gun onto his nose, "Yes, I must," she smirked.  
  
He backed up a little, "I'm Fang. Fang the Sniper to you," he snarled, "Dr. Eggman hired me to capture you and your... demonic friends there," he pointed to the babies.   
  
Cream laughed, "Eggman actually hiring someone? Oh really?"  
  
"Are you accusing me of lying?"  
  
She ignored that obvious question, "Did he pay you?"  
  
"What? Of course!" he pulled a wad of money out of his pocket to show her. Suddenly his eyes went wide, "WHAT? This is COUNTERFEIT!" he tore the fake money in half, "I'VE BEEN GIPPED! No one cheats FANG THE SNIPER and gets away with it!"  
  
"Serves you right for trusting him," she smiled, "Tell you what, I'll let you go if you promise to leave us alone and get us inside of Eggman's fortress."   
  
Fang considered this for a moment. Foiling Eggman's plans by helping out these brats would certainly ruin Eggman's day. True, it wasn't enough to settle Fang's vengeance, but it would do for now. At least until he could come up with a better plan himself.   
  
"Alright," he sighed, "You've got a deal," he reached for his pop gun.  
  
"Not so fast," she waved a finger, "I'll let you have this back AFTER we get in the fortress," She waved for him to follow, scooping up the three babies and heading out of the ryokan.  
  
Fang mumbled some curses under his breath, why couldn't things ever work out under HIS terms? Was that really so much to ask? 


	7. Near the Fortress

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
=============  
  
Amy, trapped in the corner, said, "You know, I have my own tool for revenge!" She pulled out a Piko Piko hammer and started whacking Metal Sonic with it. She was able to leap away, but Metal Sonic was following her every move, "How do I get this guy?" she wondered.  
  
Mecha Sonic was getting mad. "Come back here you little brat!" he called after Amy.  
  
"Oh yea, like if you ask nicely I'll just come running back to you!" Amy shot back sarcastically, still running. Mecha was engulfed in rage. He sped up and jumped high up into the air, landing right in front of Amy.  
  
"Enough of this cat and mouse game! Surrender now!" he said as he pointed his blasters at her head. Amy swallowed hard. How was she going to get out of this one? She was so focused on the blaster pointed at her head she didn't feel her hammer fall from her hands. Mecha smirked. "Not so tough are ya?" he laughed as Amy started to quiver in fear. Mecha began to close in on poor Amy, keeping the blaster pointed at her.  
  
***  
  
"This is taking forever!" Cream complained. She blew her floppy ears out of her face. The tired rabbit held a sleeping Tails in one arm and with her other; she held Sonic's hand as he walked beside her. Knuckles drowsily hung around Cream's neck as she carried him on her back.   
  
"Stop your complaining," Fang hissed back at her. He continued to lead the way to the fortress. Sonic started to whimper.  
  
"I wanna go hoooome!" the little hedgehog whined.   
  
"Me too!" Knuckles joined in. Tails stirred a bit but didn't wake up. One of his large sensitive ears twitched a bit at the sounds around him. Cream sighed and carefully slung Knuckles off her back and gently onto the ground. She sat down on the ground and leaned against a tree. Sonic crawled into her lap and settled down, using one of Tails tails as a pillow. Knuckles leaned against Cream. Fang watched, realizing it was time for a break.   
  
***  
  
Amy felt for her hammer, but she couldn't feel it. She looked down and saw it on the ground.  
  
She thought, "The hammer...." When she crouched down to grab it, Metal Sonic snatched it and slammed it onto her head.  
  
Metal Sonic said, "How about a new game? Whack-a-mole!" He kept hitting Amy in the head with the hammer, who was now unconscious.   
  
***  
  
Cream closed her eyes for a moment. When this was all over, she was going to have a tall glass of icy carrot juice. She opened her eyes again and glanced over at Fang. Fang had laid down on his back and had tipped down his hat, presumably to take a nap.  
  
Fang rolled over so he faced Cream and the babies. He pushed his hat back into place. He stared at the tiny sleeping hedgehog. He snickered.  
  
Cream glanced at him, "What?"  
  
Fang frowned, "I was just thinking... It's odd that Dr. Eggman's greatest nemesis is... that little weakling," he pointed to Sonic.   
  
"Not so weak when he's grown up," Cream said, stroking the baby's soft quills - hoping he didn't hear Fang's remark.  
  
"Hmph," Fang snuffed, "I don't see why you are so protective of them."  
  
Cream sat silently for a moment. Sometimes she wondered that herself; but she always had come up with the same answer. She glanced down at Tails, Knuckles and Sonic, and answered, "Because they would do the same for me."  
  
Fang stared at Cream for a second. Everyone he had known had always stabbed him in the back. She was ridiculous to trust someone, especially when it was much easier for her to just give up those bratty demons to an orphanage. He couldn't stand thinking about this any longer and stood up, "We've rested long enough," and began walking away.  
  
Cream sighed, and gathered the babies in her arms, trying to catch up to him, "How much further is the fortress from here?"   
  
"Just a few more yards, through this forest."   
  
***  
  
Mecha threw the hammer aside. He had succeeded in knocking poor Amy out cold. He scoffed at the fallen hedgehog that lay before him. "Enough of this nonsense..." he muttered as he scooped Amy up and tossed her carelessly over his shoulder. With that, he took off, shooting into the air. 


	8. Breaking In

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
=============  
  
Cream and Fang stared up at the humungous fortress in front of them. Tails whimpered and buried his face into Cream's shoulder at the site of the dark structure. Sonic and Knuckles hid behind Cream, peeking out every so often. Cream just stared up at the fortress, dumbfounded. "We've got to get in there?" she stated in disbelief, "You can't be serious!"  
  
"I'm serious..." Fang said with no enthusiasm whatsoever. He started to walk forward, but Cream stopped him.  
  
"Shouldn't we like, make a plan or something?" she stuttered out, trying to stall. Fang turned around and narrowed his eyes at her.   
  
"We will once we see what the situation looks like inside.... didn't you say that hedgehog girl is already here?" Cream nodded. "Then she'll be waiting for us, now hurry up if you want to change those three and that chao of yours back to their normal state."   
  
With that said, Fang continued on. Cream hesitated for a moment and swallowed hard. Little Sonic watched as fang walked ahead of them, then he glanced up at Cream. He then started off after Fang. Knuckles followed. Cream sighed and looked down at the tiny Tails in her arms. The kit looked back up at her with big blue eyes.  
  
"Fine! Fine! I'm going!" the rabbit gave in and ran to catch up with the others.  
  
***  
  
The glass skylight in Eggman's office shattered as Metal Sonic crashed through it. The surprise caught Eggman and Scratch and Grounder off guard. Eggman toppled out of his chair. Scratch and Grounder dived under his desk. Eggman growled, "You cowards!" as he reached a hand up to his desk and carefully pulled himself back up. He then discovered the cause of the disturbance: Metal Sonic, who was standing in front of him, with an unconscious Amy Rose draped over his shoulder.  
  
"Always have to make a big entrance, don't you?" Eggman scowled. Scratch and Grounder poked their heads out from underneath his desk.  
  
Metal didn't blink or move a muscle in response. He then spoke, "You should be happy, I've brought you a present," he gestured to the unconscious pink hedeghog he was carrying.  
  
"Finally, some decent help around here," Eggman replied, glaring at Scratch and Grounder, "But what about Cream? And where are those insolent infants?"  
  
"I guess that Fang guy couldn't handle a simple job like that," Metal smiled.  
  
"Obviously," Eggman started, "That is why I am now giving it to you..."   
  
"What?!" Scratch and Grounder exclaimed as they crawled out from under their hiding place.  
  
"Leave Amy here and bring me the rest of those troublemakers," he finished.  
  
Metal beamed with pride, "I will not fail you, sir," he then dumped Amy onto Scratch and Grounder, and blasted out of the hole he had created in the skylight.  
  
"WELL? What are you two morons waiting for? Tie up that hedgehog brat and fix my ceiling!"  
  
"But, we didn't break it!" Grounder whined, "Metal broke it!"  
  
"Enough excuses! Just do it, before I decide to turn you into something useful!" Eggman shook his fist.  
  
***  
  
Scratch and Grounder left the fortress on some trail leading out to the middle of nowhere.  
  
Scratch said, "We have to intercept them on the way to this place. Then, we can own them and get hefty rewards."  
  
Grounder asked, "And how to de get that?"  
  
"Simple, we have a net that can trap people. You just fire it from this gun."  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"Now we have to find them."   
  
Unbeknownst to the two robots, Fang, Cream and the children were not too far away. In fact, they were within several feet of them.   
  
"So, those morons think they can just up and catch us huh?" Fang grinned from their hiding place behind one of the large piles of trash that littered the land around Robotnick's fortress.   
  
Cream braced her back up against a piece of flat metal. The trembling rabbit held her breath and cuddled the little Tails close to her. She didn't even want to be here and the last thing she wanted was being caught. The curious Sonic and Knuckles stood by Fang, wanting to see what was going on. Fang looked down at the hedgehog and echidna standing below him. He realized how very bored they looked. It was obvious Sonic didn't like staying still and that Knuckles wasn't to found of staying quiet. Fang grinned as a plan started to form in his mind. "What do ya say we give those two bots a run for their money, squirts?"  
  
They both yelled, "Yea!"  
  
Fang murmured, "Attack those two duncebots. Give 'em a run for their money! Whaddya say?"  
  
"Yea!"  
  
"Go after them!"   
  
"AAAA-TTWACK!" Baby Sonic squealed at the top of his lungs, speeding towards Scratch and Grounder. Knuckles dug a hole into the ground and followed him.  
  
"What was that?" Grounder peered around.  
  
"Quick being such a scaredy-" Sonic suddenly knocked over Scratch, and started beating on his head with a scrap of metal, knocking him out cold.  
  
"EEK! It's the hedgehog brat!" Grounder lunged for his brother, but wasn't going anywhere. Instinctively, he looked down and saw that there was nothing below holding him up, "Uh-oh..." He tumbled down into the deep hole, "OUCH!" he whined.  
  
Cream and Fang walked over and peered in the hole as little Knuckles crawled out, "Robot fall down, go OUCH!" he smiled.   
  
Fang smiled, these guys were pretty good - for a bunch of demon brats, that is. Fang waved them on, "Let's go, before these idiots come to again!" Fang headed for a door into the fortress carelessly left open by the robots, "This way!"  
  
Baby Knuckles and Sonic rushed after him, Cream bringing up the rear of the party, still cradling Tails in her arms. Once everyone was inside, Fang shut the door behind them and locked it. 


	9. Baby Battle Royal

CHAPTER NINE  
  
============  
  
The unlikely band made their way through the halls of the fortress, when suddenly a piercing whine echoed through them.  
  
Fang covered his ears, "That has to be the most annoying sound I've ever heard..."  
  
"C'mon," Cream pulled one of his hands off, "It came from this way!" They raced down the hallway towards it.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, outside Metal Sonic landed just outside the fortress. He couldn't find the rabbit, Fang, or the brats anywhere. He almost gave up when he spotted Scratch sprawled out on the ground, trying to get his senses back.  
  
Metal blasted over and laughed, "Ha! You two are so pathetic - I bet those babies beat you up, huh?"  
  
Scratch grumbled, "I'd like to see you take them on, if you think you're so cool!"  
  
"Yeah, I do, and if you would point me in the right direction, I'll do it too."  
  
Grounder finally managed to crawl out of the deep hole, "They got into the fortress and-"  
  
That was all the information he needed and before Grounder could finish his sentence, Metal took off and crashed through the fortress doors. "They couldn't have gotten too far," he thought, "This will be too easy."  
  
***  
  
In the adjoining room, Amy was bound to a chair. She couldn't move at all, and biting her way out was out of the question, for she also was gagged with a white handkerchief. Eggman smiled devilishly and aimed his ray gun at Amy. He fired, but Amy did not change into a whining brat like he thought she would.  
  
Eggman whined, "What? Hey, this gun doesn't work on women! Ah well, I will find out something else to do to you!" And he winked.   
  
  
  
***  
  
Cream peered around the corner of the hallway. She hadn't seen any security cameras in the fortress. Of course, that didn't mean there weren't any, she thought. Baby Tails yawned and began to squirm around, so Cream set him down. He started playing with baby Sonic and Knuckles.  
  
Fang listened, "Hey, that noise finally stopped."  
  
A swift wind blew by, making Cream and Fang jump in fright.  
  
"What on Mobius was that?!" Fang whirled around.  
  
Cream noticed she felt lighter somehow. She quickly checked her pocket - Cheese's chao egg was gone! She glanced down to see if she had dropped it, "Oh no! The boys are gone!" There was no trace of Cheese or the three tiny toddlers.  
  
"Looking for something?" a voice snickered.  
  
"No!" Cream gasped as she turned to see Metal Sonic hovering not too far away. In one metallic claw he held Sonic, Tails and Knuckles by the scruffs of their necks, and in the other he held the chao egg that contained Cheese.   
  
"That wasn't so hard, and here I thought you brats would put up more of a fight!" he laughed, putting his face close up to Sonic's. Sonic glared, he had had just about enough of his metal counterpart.   
  
"Big Bully!" the little hedgehog pouted as he kicked his foot up, hitting Metal in the chin. Metal, who didn't see the kick coming, dropped the toddlers and the egg in his confusion. Thankfully, Cheese's egg landed in Tails lap. Knuckles and Tails quickly got to their feet and ran back over to Cream, but Sonic had landed harder than the others. As the cobalt hedgehog was picking himself up, Metal had recovered and swifty grabbed the child.  
  
"I will waste no more time with you!" Metal Sonic growled, as he took off, carrying Sonic with him.   
  
  
  
***  
  
Amy was staring really hard at the ropes that bound her body to the quaint wooden chair. She tried to rock herself to fall down so she could slip away; but the chair fell onto its back, and Amy couldn't do anything to get up. Metal Sonic barged in the room and tossed Sonic right at Amy's Face.   
  
Sonic, being the curious little toddler he was, immediately looked at Amy's face and shouted "Lookie!" Shriek-laughing loudly, he grabbed at Amy's face and pulled it into several directions, making funny expressions and laughing all the more.  
  
Amy, on the other hand, tried to yell at Sonic and shake him off, but only succeeded in a loud "MRRFLLMRRRFRFM!" and tipping herself further.  
  
Sonic then grabbed at the white gag and pulled it back, still laughing. Amy's eyes widened in horror as the toddler released the gag and snapped it back.  
  
Eggman burst through the door after hearing this commotion, "What's going on in here?" he placed the Juvenilator ray gun that he was working on into his pocket.  
  
He then spotted the little hedgehog joyfully playing with Amy's face, "You!" Eggman leapt at baby Sonic, but Sonic darted away, making Eggman fall flat on his face.  
  
Metal Sonic rushed over and began to pull him up by his shoulders. Eggman swatted at him, "Don't touch me! Capture that brat!"   
  
"Right away!" Metal Sonic saluted and dropped Eggman, who smacked into the floor once more. Metal then began to chase the speedy tot around the room.  
  
They ran up the wall, across the ceiling and around and under just about everything in the room, sending papers, chairs and anything that wasn't bolted down flying up into the air.   
  
Amy shook her head fiercely and finally succeeded in working the gag off. "Sonic!" she screamed as she watched the toddler race around the room. Sonic, who was laughing and having the time of his life in what he thought was a game of tag with Metal Sonic, stopped at the sound of his name and looked at Amy. This gave Metal a chance to grab the hedgehog.  
  
"Got ya, you little brat!" He laughed as he held up Sonic. The hedgehog squirmed and kicked in Metal's grasp but to no avail. Eggman chuckled and walked over to Metal Sonic. The evil doctor placed a finger under little Sonic's chin, forcing him to look into his eyes.   
  
"Well, Well! Seems I have the upper hand for once, Sonic!" Eggman grinned. The tiny hedgehog, though extremely frightened, did not let it show. Instead he glared back and opened his mouth wide, snapping his sharp canines down hard on Eggman's finger. The villain howled in pain as he tried to pull his finger away, but Sonic kept his jaws locked.   
  
Metal Sonic pulled out a crowbar and tried to pry open the baby's jaws as Eggman's finger turned bright purple. He squealed, "GET HIM OFF!"  
  
"I'm tryin'!" Metal replied. He dropped the crowbar as a shuriken lodged into his skull. He short-circuited and fell to the ground.  
  
Amy had been watching this unfold and suddenly saw two people rush into the room, it was Cream carrying baby Tails and Knuckles, and... Oh no! Fang was right behind her! "Cream look out!"  
  
Cream spotted her, "It's alright Aimes, he's on our side now!" She then turned to him, "Though you're not acting like it! You could've hit Sonic... And where did you get that... thing!"  
  
"From your little friend," Nack said as he pulled another shuriken out of his pocket, "You worry too much."  
  
Eggman growled and grabbed baby Sonic around his neck. Sonic finally let go of his finger after chomping down for so long, looking quite exhausted.   
  
Eggman held the infant hedgehog out towards Cream and Fang, "If you know what's good for your two friends, you will surrender to me..."  
  
Amy and Cream's eyes grew wide with fear as they watched their tiny friend struggle for air. "Let him go! He can't breathe!" Cream pleaded. Eggman grinned but refused to loosen his grip around the child's throat. It seemed the situation was hopeless. Not even Fang knew what to do now. Tears welled up in Sonic's eyes as he gasped for air. Tails saw the frightened look in his best friend's eyes. But that's not all he saw. The Juvenilator ray gun had fallen from Eggman's pocket during the struggle to get Sonic off his finger!   
  
"Knuckles," Tails whispered and he tugged on the echidna's glove. He pointed to the gun and Knuckles fallowed the kit's gaze. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together. Knuckles ran as fast as he could and slid right between Eggman's legs. As he slid he grabbed the Juvenilator.   
  
"What the?!" Eggman said in confusion as he caught a glimpse of baby Knuckles slide under him. While he was distracted Tails flew past, snatching Sonic out of the evil doctor's grasp.   
  
Knuckles kept his pace up as he glanced behind him to make sure Tails had gotten Sonic away from Eggman. At that moment Tails carrying Sonic flew past Knuckles, surprising the little echidna. This was why he failed to notice the short-circuited Metal Sonic in front of him. As Knuckles tripped over the fallen robot, he dropped the gun. In his fall he landed on it, pressing a particularly bright red button as he did so. The gun went off….in the direction of Sonic and Tails!  
  
"NOOO!" Eggman cried.  
  
A bright ray of yellow light zapped the two teeny toddlers. They glowed brightly, causing everyone to shield their eyes. The light immediately snuffed out and the babies fell to the floor, seemingly unscathed.  
  
Eggman scrambled past the two burnt babies and pried the Juvenilator from under baby Knuckles, "Well! What do you know! It didn't work!" he leaped for joy. He then growled at Knuckles, "Thought you could outsmart me, did you?" He picked up Knuckles by his foot, trying to decide the best way to punish the tiny troublemaker.  
  
Unbeknownst to Eggman, the ray had indeed worked, as Sonic and Tails began glowing again and almost instantly grew up to their normal age. Amy, Fang and Cream watched this in amazement and were totally stupified.  
  
Sonic saw Eggman holding Knuckles and quickly leapt to his feet. He walked towards Eggman. Sonic frowned. Not only was that bully teasing one of his closest buds (something only he should do), Knux was just a baby! "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size, Eggbelly?"   
  
Eggman froze. No! It couldn't be! 


	10. It's a Dirty Job

CHAPTER TEN:  
  
============  
  
Back at the ryokan, Shoko finally awoke from her conconsciousness, "Where is everybody?"   
  
Suddenly, a stout, short man approached her, complete with a shuriken in his hand.  
  
She screamed, "Sen Sayokudo!"  
  
He moaned, "Yes, Shoko Kazamaru. I know you, and I'm going to battle you."   
  
  
  
Shoko backed up and bumped into one of the tables in the hall. A shiny katana tumbled off its stand on the table. Shoko heard this and reached a hand back as if to steady herself. She grasped her hand around the sword handle, "How did you find me?"  
  
He studied the shiny shruiken in his hands, "Actually finding you here is quite the surprise... I was only after those two girls who came to stay at your ryokan-"  
  
"So, you're working for Eggman too?"   
  
"Eggs-actly. Oh, please eggscuse the pun," Sen chuckled, "This is perfect! Not only did I perform a flawless job for Eggman, but now I get the pleasure of disposing of you, my old friend, as well..."  
  
"You are no friend of mine! You slaughtered my family!"  
  
"A small price to pay for fame and fortune," he smiled, "Or it would have been had you not escaped from me that day... Do you realize how much that little stunt of yours cost me?"  
  
"What it cost YOU?" Shoko growled, her eyes watering a little.  
  
Sen laughed, "Well, I'm here to finish that job I started so long ago, and finally claim my reward for finishing off the last of the Kazamaru line..."  
  
He frowned, "It's kind of sad really... you being from a family of warriors, I was hoping for a real fight," within the blink of an eye, he flung the shruiken at Shoko who immediately swung her katana forward and reflected it.  
  
Sen jumped back and tried to dodge as the shruiken hit him in the shoulder blade, the cloth of his shirt turning red, "You! How could you? You're just a-a..."   
  
Shoko whacked him on the head with the handle of her katana, and he toppled unconscious onto the floor. Shoko replaced the sword on the stand and bowed. She smiled to herself. Her family would be proud too, "A girl. Yes... I am."  
  
She excitedly ran to the phone sitting on a short table in the hallway and called the police, "And you, are busted..."  
  
***  
  
Eggman whipped around to see a very angry looking blue hedgehog. "Put him down Eggman! Before I do something rash!" Sonic nearly growled. Tails lifted his head at the sound of Sonic's threat. Once he saw Knuckles dangling from Eggman's grasp he too jumped to his feet.   
  
Eggman was stunned. How could this be happening? Why? He was supposed to win this time! He began backing up, forgetting he was still holding Knuckles. The tiny echidna wasn't giving up though. He reached up and swiped at the hand holding his ankle. The tip of his razor sharp knuckles slashed across Eggman's wrist. Crimson blood stained the evil doctors pristine white gloves. Eggman instantly let go of Knuckles and gapped at his wound. "Knuckles!" Sonic shouted as he revved up his feet. Knuckles fell face first towards the floor, but before he made contact he found himself in the arms of our cobalt hero.   
  
"Oh thank goodness!" Amy breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the child fall safely into Sonic's arms. Cream wasted no time in hurrying over and taking Knuckles from Sonic's arms.   
  
"You poor thing!" the rabbit cooed as she hugged the little echidna. Knuckles obviously didn't mind the attention. Eggman, who had been tripped when Sonic dashed for Knuckles, looked up to see a popgun aimed right at his forehead.   
  
"Like I said, No one cheats Fang the Sniper and gets away with it!" the bounty hunter snarled. Tails picked up the Juvenilator and looked it over.  
  
"Cream, bring Knuckles over here for a sec!" As Tails deciphered how to use the ray gun, Sonic noticed Amy Rose still struggling in her bonds. He made his way over the fallen Metal Sonic and bent down beside her and started to untie the pink hedgehog.   
  
"You all right Aimes?" he asked as he helped her up. Amy instantly pulled Sonic into a hug, but this time Sonic allowed it. He smiled and pat her on the back. Almost as instantly as she had hugged him, Amy pulled away and slapped him on the arm.   
  
"Hey!" Sonic said in confusion as he jumped back. "What was that for?!"  
  
"Don't you ever scare me like that again Sonic Hedgehog!" Amy Rose scolded as she shook a finger at him.   
  
***   
  
"My friend," Eggman smiled nervously at Fang, "I would never cheat you!"  
  
Fang pressed the popgun onto Eggman's forehead, "Yeah right. You're not going to make a fool out of me..." Just then an evil smile suddenly dawned on his face, "Actually, I think I'll make one out of you!"  
  
Eggman raised his eyebrows in confusion as Fang tossed his pop gun back into his holdster and snatched the Juvenilator ray gun from Tails.  
  
"HEY!"  
  
"Calm down," Fang said as he fired the ray at Eggman, "I just need this for a second..."  
  
Eggman crouched and vainly tried to dodge the yellow beam. Fang then handed the ray gun back to Tails.  
  
Within a few seconds, Eggman glowed brightly and began to grow shorter. He whined the whole way down, and when he stopped shrinking was just a tiny, but fat toddler with a bulky red nose, beady eyes and a tuft of stringy hair on top of his head. Little bits of mustache hairs stuck out of his nose. The baby sniffled and a stream of drool ran down his cheek.  
  
Everyone leaned back in digust.   
  
"There's a face only a mother could love," Sonic cringed.  
  
"I feel sorry for the mother," Amy replied.  
  
Cream sat baby Knuckles on Eggman's desk. She also pulled Cheese's chao egg out of her pocket and sat it beside him. Tails pointed the juvenihilator at Knuckles, "I hope this works," he fired it and Knuckles and the egg glowed brightly. Everyone gathered around him. Nothing happened.  
  
A flash erupted and suddenly a grown-up Knuckles was seated on the edge of the table, with Cheese sitting in his lap and a crowd of people staring him down, "AH!" He almost fell off, "Have you people ever heard of personal space? Sheesh!"  
  
Cream picked up Cheese and gave him a big hug. Cheese displayed a question mark over his head.   
  
Suddenly, baby Eggman started to cry, and everyone covered their ears.  
  
"Let's get out of here, I can't stand this place," Amy told Sonic.  
  
"For once, I agree with you," Sonic headed for the door, followed by everyone.  
  
Eggman bawled, "WAH! NO FAIR! Me supposed to win! MEEEE!"  
  
Fang shut the door behind them.  
  
"Now who are you?" Sonic asked him.  
  
"A friend," Cream answered, smiling at Fang.   
  
Fang didn't return the smile, tipping his hat down, "For now... Goodbye!" His quick hand threw down a tiny ball that erupted in a fit of purple smoke. Everyone coughed and tried to wave away the smoke. When it cleared, Fang the Sniper was gone.  
  
"Gee whiz, how much stuff did he take from Shoko, anyway?" Amy crossed her arms, "Once a thief, always a thief, I guess."  
  
Cream frowned. Just when she thought she had finally broken down the wall Fang had put around himself, he had built it back up. He just seemed so lonely. Maybe they would run into him again some day.   
  
"Hold it right there!"  
  
Everybody turned to see Scratch and Grounder running down the hall.  
  
"Looks like it's time to speed, keeds. Meet you guys at the Soda Shoppe!" Sonic said, grabbing Amy's wrist and speeding off.  
  
"Right behind you, Blue, and you'd better give me a rematch!" Knuckles called as he and Cream took off after them.  
  
Tails made a silly face at the bots, "Hope you guys like babysitting!" He winked and quickly took to the air flying down the hallway.  
  
Scratch and Grounder finally arrived where our heroes had been standing and stopped to catch their breaths.   
  
"What did Tails mean by that, Scratch?"  
  
"Who cares. We'd better check on the boss," Scratch opened the door and then his eyes bugged out, "OH no! He's a baby!" They dashed in and Grounder picked him up. Scratch sniffed the air, "Pew! Grounder, change his diaper!"  
  
"OH NO! You always make ME do the DIRTY work!" he shoved baby Eggman into Scratch's arm, "YOU do it!"  
  
Scratch passed him back, "Why don't YOU do it? You don't have any sinuses - and I can't STAND that SMELL!"  
  
Grounder tossed the baby to the side and he landed on Metal Sonic, "OH! I know, we'll let METAL do it, hehehe," Grounder snickered.  
  
"OOOh! Good idea! B-WAH-HA-HA-HA! Race you to the rec room!"  
  
"I'm gonna beat you this time!"   
  
They stumbled around and dashed out of the room.   
  
Little Eggman's face turned red and he began to bawl even louder, "Stupid wobots! Stupid hedgehog! Stupid... uh... EV-WEE-THING!!"  
  
THE END 


End file.
